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Town of Fort Nelson

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Fort Nelson is a town of approximately 5000 residents in British Columbia's northeastern corner. It is the seat, and only municipality in the Northern Rockies Regional District. Fort Nelson is primarily a natural resource industry town, with the majority of economic activity in oil and gas and forestry. The forests surrounding Fort Nelson are part of Canada's great boreal forest. Fort Nelson is the centre of the Greater Sierra oil field.

The town lies east of the Northern Rocky Mountains in the Peace River region, along the Alaska Highway, where it is known as "Mile 300".Year round, the town is home to over 4,500 residents while 1,600 additional residents settle in the surrounding Northern Rockies Regional District area including the Fort Nelson First Nations reserve. There are about 500 members living on the reserve, yet across the region, as a whole, Aboriginal people make up approximately 15% of the total population.

The community also experiences seasonal population increases. In winter, logging and oil rig activities bring in another two to five thousand additional people. And during the summer tourism season -April through September- about 140,000 visitors travel through the area.

The Fort Nelson area has experienced dramatic growth due to forest and petroleum industry expansions, beginning 1985 and particularly since 1989. Offered here are a wide variety of natural resources including extensive forests, natural gas, oil, sulfur, and developing agricultural land. One of the main opportunities for present and future industrial and economic development is the area's ability to offer the services necessary to transport to major markets and to produce goods here for worldwide export. Most of the development and employment opportunities lie in resource extraction but with an increasing emphasis on the area's reputation as a regional transportation and service centre.

Located in Fort Nelson is North America's largest gas processing plant, Duke Energy; and one of the leading plywood/lumber mills in British Columbia, Canadian Forest Products (Canfor) (formerly Slocan Group) - Tackama Division. In 1995 Slocan constructed an oriented strand board plant, Polar Board Division and the plant itself is the largest industrial building of its kind in BC. Through its two operations, Canfor is Fort Nelson's principal employer.

Fort Nelson's service industry is an integral and growing sector of the local economy for two reasons. First, this sector is a major employer within the area, and second, it provides essential services to the other sectors of the economy including the petroleum, forestry, and mining industries. Tourism is also very important to the region and is a sector with tremendous growth potential. The spectacular scenery and abundance of wildlife are of global significance and make Fort Nelson a 'world class' destination for adventure tourism, fly-in fishing and big game guide/outfitting. There are nine provincial parks, recreation areas and campgrounds within the Regional District including the renowned 'Liard Hot Springs'. The area is also home to the Northern Rockies Protected Area that is gaining distinction world wide. The region is a bustling centre for the accommodation and hospitality industry and is well served through its hotels and motels, restaurants, as well as several private campgrounds and prestigious new resorts. Under construction is a new 100-room hotel. Fort Nelson has a community college, Northern Lights College, which offers a full variety of educational opportunities, from adult basic education through university transfer. The University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) also offers a wide variety of courses. Fort Nelson's many culture and recreation facilities provide an excellent quality of life for residents. There is something for everyone.

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